Dedicated team of detectives head up new Human Trafficking Unit to tackle crime gangs (16 Jan 2015)

A dedicated team of detectives will combat human trafficking in
West Yorkshire as part of efforts by police and the police and
crime commissioner to tackle slavery gangs.

A new dedicated Human Trafficking Unit (HTU) is now in the
process of becoming operational and will work both locally and
nationally to target organised crime lords seeking to traffic
people into West Yorkshire.

It has been formed as part of a range of initiatives underway in
West Yorkshire to combat trafficking which has been identified as a
key issue by West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark
Burns-Williamson.

The new Human Trafficking Unit will be led by a dedicated
detective inspector and staffed by specialist detectives and
investigators who have all received training in investigating human
trafficking related offending.

It is believed to be only the third of its kind in the country and
has been set up as part of West Yorkshire's Serious and Organised
Crime Unit (SOCU) and will use the full range of tactics and
techniques used by SOCU to investigate the most complex criminal
cases.

Work by the detectives will be complemented by the start-up of a
West Yorkshire Anti Trafficking Network (WYATN) with charity Hope
For Justice which will train almost 3,500 police staff, as well as
staff from partner agencies about how to spot the signs of
trafficking and tackle it.

The training, which will be delivered by Hope for Justice in
partnership with West Yorkshire Police, is being funded by cash
secured by Mr Burns-Williamson from the Home Office.

Both initiatives follow a conference hosted last year by the PCC
to spread awareness of human trafficking and to lay the groundwork
for coordinated efforts to address the issue.

Detective Chief Inspector Warren Stevenson, of West Yorkshire
Police, said the formation of a trafficking prevention unit showed
how seriously authorities took the issue.

He said: "Human trafficking is a vile crime, and the resources
we are dedicating to this new unit makes clear how determined we
are to tackle it and bring those responsible to justice.

"Last year the number of human trafficking victims referred by
West Yorkshire Police to the national referral mechanism doubled
from 2013 from 42 to 84, showing the scale of the problem, but also
demonstrating that victims are more willing to come to us.

"We have been working closely with Hope For Justice to support
these victims and also secure evidence against those abusing
them."

The DCI said the new unit was intended to complement the work
already ongoing within West Yorkshire Police to tackle trafficking,
but to provide extra support for complex cases.

He added: "What this new team will do is give us extra capability
to investigate the larger organised crime gangs bringing
trafficking victims into our region, and to provide extra support
to divisions managing human slavery investigations locally.

"By managing these cases through our Serious and Organised Crime
Unit we can ensure all the resources we bring to bear to
investigate the most complex conspiracies can be used to target
traffickers operating at a national and international level."

Mr Burns-Williamson said: "The creation of this dedicated response
unit shows how West Yorkshire Police is leading the way in helping
victims of human trafficking.

"Those being helped by the unit will then be supported by the
3,500 people being trained by the WYATN to put their lives back
together and it means victims are subsequently more confident in
coming forward to the police.

"Training with front line staff around human trafficking has
created an increased understanding of the signs of this crime and
its implications, but there is more we need to do and this
dedicated response unit is part of that, as it is targeting those
perpetrators ruining people's lives with this awful crime.

"They need to know they have no place to hide, and victims need
to know that in West Yorkshire the resources and support are in
place to protect them and that is why it was made a priority within
this year's Police and Crime Plan."